The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-11-23
wedding Ont Poor Stock.

What kind of stock the farmer sells
has more to do with success or failure
than any other one item in farm manage
ment. We think most farmers are learn.
ing to be more particular on this point
than formerly. 1t is no longer easy for
the butcher or drovers to ride through
the country, picking out the choicest
animals, paying a trihe more for them.
and leaving the farmer the scrubs. The
reverse of this is now so often the case
that the business of buying cattle and
other live stock in the East has to some
extent gone out of fashion. 1t is easier
to order dressed beef from the far West.
or bring the live stock on cars and
butcher them here
One of the results of this is that farm
ers are often left with the anma ne I
worth keeping, and yet not easy to sell
Unless farmer is pretty close calcula-
tor this condition of alTairs NAV continue
year after year, until the stock has, as the
saying is, more than eaten its head of. ~
IL is easy to see that such animals must
be heavy drawback upon successful
farming. No matter how good the crops
may be, whatever is fed to inferior ami
mails brings little return. Inolden times
there was less competition and a larger
margin OF profit. Then poor stock did
not matter so much, for everybody had
more or less of it. With the improve
ments that have now been made in do
mestic animals, it is more necessary than
ever before to get and keep the best.
Itcosts more too than it used 10, though
not proportionably more than its in
creased excellence warrants. The farmers
who complain that pedigreed stock of
good strains costs too much, ignore its
productiveness. This is especially true
OF cows for milk and butter. MANY n
farmer can well afford to sell off his three
1our or half dozen ordinary mai ma 1
5S1S es1S pG. <iiefT - 13f6e The nro@on,
from the one will b worth for raising
more than from all that he previously
had. He will save expense of feeding
superfiuous animals and extra labor in
care and milking. One thoroughbred
COW may thus be the foundation of a
valuable herd.
1t is the same with all other farm ami
mails. No good farming can be done
with poorhors If the team is inefficient
the fact hinders all farm work and causes
1t to be done at loss. 1t is one of the
disadvantages of continuing long in the
farming business, that unless the farmer
Is pretty wide awake he will soon find
ms stables filled with animals past their
best service. No one would buy snch
horses to begin farming with, but having
them, the farmer sees a yearly denreci9
ation OF value which he vainly attempts
70 recover A year ago horse that might
readily have sold for $3.50 is now less
salable at 500. Two or three years later
he will be an old horse, salable. perhaps.
tor 800, yet really not worth taking as a
giit. When horse from age or infirmity
goes below $50 or 500 in price, the man
must be in hard stress indeed who will
depend on him to do a seasons work on
the farm
Yer 1t is such animals, not merely of
horses, but of other farm stock that
poor beginners mainly start out with.
They take the leavings of the rich. and
NOBODY ever made money by this method.
Inc only exception to this is in an mails
past their prime, Of good blood and not
past breeding age. Sometimes from such
valuable young stock NAV be bred and
the profit on the young animals more
than offsets the depreciation of the old.
AS arule, however, all animals much past
tnelr prime should be disposed of as soon
as possible. Old horses that have done
faithful service may be killed in some
painless manner, rather than sold to be
lil-treated by strangers. Killing with.
out iattening, saving only the hide and
using the carcass as manure, NAV often
be a better means of disposing super
animated cows than trying to winter or
even to fatten them. Unusually. how
ever some one will be found willing TO
buy such animals and will invariably
pay more than they are worth. This is
one OF the ways whereby the poor in.
crease their poverty, as has been the
usual rule through every age and in
every country CultiUGtor.